Natural Gas GE/Briggs&Stratton Generator No Start

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Without your model number, the information I Googled suggests that your unit comes with an automatic battery charger/maintainer. There is a cold winter kit available that keeps the oil and battery warm to assist easier starting: https://www.google.com/search?client=fir...1.0.12COGLMSwX4

I'm guessing that there might be a very slight chance that a few of the above posters might be correct to check the proper fuel pressure input. I'm also guessing that maybe the carburetor is just very simple and struggles a bit to compensate for very cold temperature start ups.

At work, I have a 17kw NG standby generator that starts the same at -10F as it does above 32F, if that means anything. It has a battery maintainer and coolant heater.


Thanks for your comment. I do have the battery warmer/winter kit. There's no other warmer. As you know it's a basis air cooled engine Briggs&Stratton engine. The fuel pressure regulator is outside the unit and has had to be replaced on a previous unit. (This is my third one under warranty. No kidding.) I'm going to replace the fuel pressure regulator and jet on the engine. The gas company put in new lines in the road and to the house plus a new meter just after Thanksgiving. Maybe the work created some debris?
 
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Originally Posted By: georgemiller
Is this a converted tri fuel generator or was this natural gas from the factory?


NG or propane from the factory.
 
Originally Posted By: georgemiller
Could it be when very cold gas pressure drops and unit is starved for natural gas?


Could be. We've been burning it to say the least.
 
Here's two other things... First one's kinda obvious. Is your meter and manifold big enough to handle the gen with other stuff in your house running? The gen needs most of it's BTU rating upon startup.

Here's the usual, not so obvious cause. There's a vent line on the gas regulator. Spiders ALWAYS seem to lay eggs in there. My brother is an area rep for the Briggs home generators. He clears that line and installs a soap screen for a pressure washer. Once that's done, no more problem. And we always gap the plugs at .020.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald

They do run hotter and can burn valves.

Usually the fixed ignition timing on those engines is too retarded for the gaseous fuels and EGTs become elevated, combined with fixed, uncontrolled fuel mixtures can end up in burned valves
 
Originally Posted By: Sam_Julier
Originally Posted By: georgemiller
Could it be when very cold gas pressure drops and unit is starved for natural gas?


Could be. We've been burning it to say the least.

System usage shouldn't affect the pressure that the appliance sees as they all have their own service regulators (set around ~3.5" Water Closet
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) Every level of the delivery infrastructure is fully pressure regulated.
 
Reviving this thread. Our Briggs & Stratton 8kw standby generator ran 42 hours straight under load after a tornado swept through Connecticut in September .

The engine burned 1/3 of its oil 1.5 qt oil sump. (Havoline Full Syn 10W30) The spark plug was severely fouled. Oil came out of the spark plug hole. I replaced the plugs twice. Once with the Briggs Premium Platinum plug, then with the NGK equivalent. Each time the plugs were completely black with oil and oil came out of the hole. At start up it produces a cloud of oil smoke as the engine heats up. It has been unable to start itself at the test cycle twice, despite the new plugs. The engine has only 124 hours total time. The plugs are gapped to .02 per the OM.

This is the engine:


I’m just out of the warranty of 2,000 hours or 4 years. If Briggs & Stratton doesn’t replace the engine under warranty I think I’m going to pull the engine and take it to a repair shop.

Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Sam
 
Overfilling with oil would do that. Is there oil coming out the crankcase vent and going into the air filter box and intake?

A wider gap and/or hotter plug would reduce the tendency to foul out from burning oil.
 
Sam, I just read your last post to my brother. He said you should have been writing emails or letters to Briggs about this while you were still under warranty. Even now, they're PROBABLY more likely to help you as a customer than they would if an area rep contacted them for you.
He says it sounds like a valve stem seal or ring. He also said tell them you're running 5-30.
 
Overfilling with oil would do that. Is there oil coming out the crankcase vent and going into the air filter box and intake?

A wider gap and/or hotter plug would reduce the tendency to foul out from burning oil.
The oil is filled at the correct level.
 
Sam, I just read your last post to my brother. He said you should have been writing emails or letters to Briggs about this while you were still under warranty. Even now, they're PROBABLY more likely to help you as a customer than they would if an area rep contacted them for you.
He says it sounds like a valve stem seal or ring. He also said tell them you're running 5-30.
Thank you for your help. This is the third unit I have had. The first two were changed under warranty for over and under speed issues. This unit has had multiple service calls from OJ Mann in Cheshire CT. I will tell them I have 5W30 in it. Thanks,

Sam
 
Briggs & Stratton will replace any defective parts or the entire engine. Very generous considering that the unit is 6 months out of warranty.
 
Are these engines running on NG typically harder to start than gasoline? I've noticed that when the temp is < 10 degrees the engine stumbles for 10-20 seconds before catching.

Absolutely. There is line in the owners manual of my natural gas powered Impala saying if the outside temperature is below -4F, the engine may be harder to start or may not start without using the block heater.
 
My guess is the head gasket failed. I checked the oil after the first 24 hours - the level was fine. At 42 hours it was down quite a bit and the plug was severely fouled. From the videos it looks like replacing the head gasket is a simple repair.
 
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